A new taskforce and extra staff will work to contain the threat of an outbreak of Panama disease in Queensland’s far north.

A farm at Tully was quarantined earlier this monthand tests confirmed on the weekend the existence of Panama disease tropical race 4.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Cabinet had signed off on its initial response to the disease.

Two command centres currently operating in Brisbane and Tully will be boosted to a 50-strong team.

A joint Queensland government and industry taskforce will begin to plan for the medium and long-term response to the disease, which wiped out the Northern Territory’s industry almost two decades ago.

The federal government will also be asked to join the taskforce.

“The banana industry is worth $600 million to the Queensland economy and the Queensland Government wants to do everything that we can do to assist,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“It’s important we all continue to support the banana industry as it goes through these tough times.

“If you buy Queensland-grown bananas on a regular basis, keep doing so, and if you don’t, now’s a great time to start.”

Biosecurity Queensland said it was still not clear whether other properties were infected.

Chief biosecurity officer Jim Thompson hoped containing an outbreak could buy some time for the industry.

“We have to look at a whole range of things of whether we can get bananas that might be disease resistant, as to whether there’s other crops that could be planted in those areas where bananas are not able to be planted or other management regimes in terms of bananas that might mean we can still farm in those areas.”

The family that owns the farm at the centre of the Panama tropical race 4 outbreak said they had no idea how the disease entered their farm.

Heidi Quagliata, from the Robsons Banana farm in Tully, said it was a very difficult time for her family.

“Just the nausea, the anxiety attacks that you get,” she said.

“Anyone in our position would be going through the same thing and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

Strict new rules to protect crops

The disease affects the roots of banana plants and stops harvestable fruit from growing.

The fungus lives and is spread through soil and once it is there, there is no way to get rid of it.

Infected land can never be used for cavendish bananas again.

Around the world no region has ever been able to contain the disease but Queensland farmers are hoping Tully will be the first and they are taking extraordinary measures.

Banana farmer Adrian Crema has fenced in his 200-acre Jarra Creek property and all vehicles on the property are being sprayed as they enter and again as they leave.

His property is just three kilometres from the infected area and although worried about his future, he has remained stoic.

“There’s too much at stake to give up – my father started here 50 years ago and now we’re farming and I want it to continue with our family and my son.

“The whole banana industry is focused on beating this.

“This is probably the biggest threat that our industry has faced while I’ve been growing bananas and we have to beat it.”

Other farmers have begun taking similar precautions – they have been fencing off crops from other parts of their property, stopping vehicles from entering their property and washing down cars and shoes whenever they return home.

The Cassowary Coast has stopped council truck movements around banana farms including maintenance on verges and roads.

It will also consider closing some roads.

‘Worst disease of bananas in the world’
Australian Banana Growers Council (ABGC) CEO Jim Pekin said the banana industry was worth $600 million and 95 per cent of the fruit was grown in north Queensland.

He said Panama was the worse disease of bananas in the world.

Almost two decades ago, Panama disease wiped out the Northern Territory’s banana industry, leaving just one commercial farm.

Mr Pekin said it could well be feasible to eradicate.

“But at the moment our strategy is to contain the disease,” he said.

ABGC chair Doug Phillips said the disease killed plants but it was harmless to humans.

“The reality is that the plant sucks up water normally and then produces a bunch – with this disease, it actually can’t produce a harvestable bunch,” he said.

“Therefore, every banana that’s packed from the other 279 farms in north Queensland is good.”

Mr Phillips said he hoped it was an isolated case.

“They’ve only found it on one farm and we’ve encouraged growers to put their hand up if they’ve got any suspect plants, and there’s been none that have been confirmed bar one. There’s only been one detection so far,” he said.

Banana loss could impact wider tourism industry
Cassowary Coast Mayor Bill Shannon said bananas were important to the welfare of the entire region.

“It’s probably the worst of all news, it’s worse than any cyclone,” he said.

“The effects in this town would be massive – if there were no bananas, no industry in this town, it would be devastating.

“More than that it would be devastating for far north Queensland because working in the banana fields is very labour intensive industry, a lot of backpackers work there.

“It’d have a huge flow-on effect – they work for several weeks here so they can have a few giant days in Cairns, Airlie Beach or Mission Beach, so that will have an effect on that market.”

Mr Shannon said many in the community were still coming to terms with the news.

“They’re somewhat disorientated, they’re angry one minute then concerned another, and it’s a very, very disturbing time for people and the mood in the town is very, very sombre,” he said.

On Saturday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she might flag federal financial assistance to help producers affected by Panama disease.

Ms Palaszczuk said the State Government would do “everything they can”, but stopped short of outlining any formal commitments.

“These are issues that we will keep having discussions about, and of course we may need to be speaking to our federal counterparts as well,” she said.

“I’ve got biosecurity officers on the floor up there – I’ve asked them to stay to make sure that they’re communicating to everyone.

“I know how important this industry is to Queensland and to the nation, and we’ll do everything we can.”

Government authorities ‘confident’ about containing disease
Queensland Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne said the Government was confident biosecurity measures would stop the disease from spreading.

“All of our efforts since day one have been about containment,” he said.

“We’ve responded as per a plan for Biosecurity Queensland to deal with this issue.”

Mr Byrne said authorities were trying to determine the extent of the problem.

“Obviously that is a worry and that’s why the surveillance program is continuing,” he said.

“That will run for some many more weeks in order to establish what we’re dealing with here.

“Right now it’s on one particular property and those tests have come back positive over the weekend.

“We have a high degree of confidence about our capacity to contain initially, but we’re also undertaking further survey work and testing to establish the full parameters of the problem.”